Reviews

Captivating Camino

Week long bike adventure was the perfect mix of intense physical activity and sightseeing / touring.

Enjoyed every minute

My first solo walking holiday surpassed expectations. Every day was different. The walks varied from rocky steep mountain trails to flat coastal paths. The scenery was beautiful. The views of the Riviera from clifftops were spectacular. Wandering through quaint , quiet villages was a delight. An added bonus was the friendly company of everyone in the group and the laughter and different stories about life in other countries at dinner in local restaurants.

SICILY - Group tour

I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. The time of year was perfect in that the scenery was green and the verges full of flowers. The people in Sicily were extremely friendly and the food we had was delicious (local knowledge of the tour leader and local operator obviously need to be thanked for this). I wouldn’t call this “moderate” as there are many hills so a good level of fitness is required. We’d expected temperatures to be mid-late 20s but instead we had mid 30s!! Beautiful weather but tougher for cycling up the long hills. I’d definitely recommend this tour.

Petra and Wadi Rum Trek

A fantastic experience! I felt that we were able to fully appreciate the desert scenery that Wadi Rum had to offer. The wild camping was in excellent locations including on top of sand dunes and between sandstone mountains.

3 Amazing weeks in India Nepal

3 weeks packed with so much to do and see. I have no idea how Exodus can make any profit from this trip. True value for money! In summary if you do the trip and the excursion it works out to be 3 holidays in 1. 1st week, the wonders of Delhi, Agra & Japur. Our driver Amir was brilliant and took us wherever we wanted. We also met 3 very knowledgeable guides who provided guidance while visiting the Taj Mahal, Agra, The Amber Fort and Japur. Our hotels during this part of the trip where excellent.
The 2nd part of our trip was Darjeeling & the Singalila Ridge, where we met our new treking friends. The trek was led by Jospal & Suntos a local guide from Darjeeling. What these two did not know about the the mountains and local community was not worth knowing. We had some wet and windy weather but I always felt they had our best intrests in mind. We did get views of Kanchenjunga which was the icing on the cake for me. The tents we used where adiquate and the trek chef never let the side down and produced some of the nicest food I have ever tasted whilst on a trek not to mention a few restaurants I have visited. The days varied in length and variety. I was one of the youngest on the trek at 42 and found the undulating ridge fine. Our oldest member of the trek was 70 and like me plodded with the odd steep section slowing us down. If your relatively fit and healthy you’ll be fine. No need to start running marathons to sign up. And certainly do not let age get in the way. The pace was always slow and steady to enjoy the views, banter, and rhododendrons. I chose to do this trip in April May to get the best advantage of catching the various colours of plant life. As it turned out it was by chance Budda’s Birthday and a full moon during the trek, so whilst staying in small villages from time to time there was always some festivity happening.
The 3rd and final part of our experience was what I would call the Jeep Rural Safari. We left Darjeeling after visiting the Mountaineering Intitute where climbers and sherpa’s train to climb mountains such as Everest and lead treks and plumited down in altitude driving past massive tea plantations. Where we stopped and visited the tea pickers and farmers. Then onto Sikkim, different from the Darjeeling Region. More Westernised in my opinion, industrial along the river and lots of schools and universities. We stayed in Gangtok and visited a wonderful monestry and had some time to look around ourselves. The drive to Kalingpong took us back out Sikkim and back into the Dajeeling Region where we climed in our jeeps to see wonderful views of the local foothills of the Himilaya. We stayed at the Himalayan Hotel. The same hotel Malory, Irvine, Hillary and Tenzing stayed in prior to going to Everest. This was by far my favourite hotel of the whole trip! Ooozing with character and history. A wee drive to the train station then an overnight train to Calcutta, where we said goodbye to the jeeps and Santos. Calcutta was amazing! We had time to do a whistle stop tour of the city in time for some of us to go to a 20/20 Cricket match to see the Calcutta Night Riders v The Punjab Kings. Such an experience. The stadium was packed with 60-70,000 supporters. This was our last day, so we went to a rooftop restaurant which was a special place to say goodbye to our new friends before parting our ways and going home.
I know this was to be a summary but there was too much to tell.

Essential Peru

The trip is very busy with long days and several early starts but it is worth it. You see so much of Peru and each region has its own personality.

Cycle Indochina

AN AWESOME TRIP COVERING 3 COUNTRIES IN ASIA

Wonderful mix of nature and culture!

I went on this trip in April/May 2015, which is the best time for viewing the rhododendrons but may not be the best time for views of the mountains. We were, however, lucky enough to get some great views of the mountains at the highest camp!

The trek was not overly difficult or too strenuous but the first couple of days did have some rain so make sure to bring quick drying clothes and enough warm items to wear in the camps in the evenings as clothes may not dry before the next day. Trekking poles came in handy on some of the downhill sections but were not essential. The nights did get quite cool so a three season sleeping bag is ideal.

The cook and camp staff were fantastic and always made sure there was plenty of food and hot beverages. I really enjoyed the hot juices at the end of the day’s trek – a great way to warm up!

The second half of the trip to Sikkim was equally excellent and the jeep rides were a great way to see the countryside. I did not think the time on the road was too long compared to other trips I have done. I think the longest day was about 4 or 5 hours. The jeep drivers were excellent and I never felt unsafe at any point, despite the rather narrow roads and signs of past landslides.

Gangtok was a beautiful town, which was clean and quite green. The hotel was excellent and a welcome retreat after the trek. The overnight train from Siliguri to Calcutta was a pleasant experience, despite a bit of a fistfight in the section next to ours.

I was not expecting much from Calcutta but was also pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness of the streets and friendliness of the people.

Prior to the trip I did the Kashmir extension, which was a great way to adjust to the time zone and relax for a few days before the more hectic pace of the trip. The people were very friendly and Lake Dal was beautiful. The houseboat we stayed on was first rate and the guide and boat staff were fantastic.

An amazing trip all around!

treasures of sicily

This was my first group holiday and it was a wonderful experience. It was organised so well and we saw Sicily in all its beauty. the group got on very well together which as a solo traveller was good for me. It was a wonderful introduction to this island and I would love to return and take my time in various parts of it. The food and wine were excellent and cheaper than any of us expected.

Hiking the Amalfi Coast

Bomerano is a peaceful, charming village. I enjoyed the stay there very much. The week was tiring, but worth the effort. The whole area was beautiful, and the hikes took us to a good variety of places. Exodus had everything organized very well, and they were extremely helpful in preparing for the trip, booking, paying, and conducting the tour. I was pleased with Exodus as a company.
I had some issues with the hotel (see below) but otherwise the trip was great.